SANTA CLARA, CA — A crowd from around the Bay Area recently gathered in Santa Clara, California, to celebrate the topping out of DPR Construction’s new Silicon Valley Office. While topping out ceremonies traditionally celebrate the placement of the last structural steel beam, this event instead celebrated the placement of the last mass timber beam by DPR’s Self-Perform Work team.
“True to our living lab approach, we’re leveraging progressive building techniques and materials, like mass timber on the Silicon Valley Office,” said Tyler Schenk-Wasson, DPR’s Project Manager.
Mass timber is an innovative and sustainable building material gaining traction across the industry. Prefabricated and engineered for strength, mass timber can allow for faster construction — up to 25 percent quicker than traditional concrete systems in some cases — and offers a renewable alternative with a lower environmental impact. With uncertainty on materials costs and tariffs, most mass timber is sourced regionally.
“We self-performed the mass timber, and we’re so proud of our builders,” said Chris Strock, Co-Leader of DPR’s Bay Area Business Unit. “Current and future generations of DPR employees will see their work and be inspired by their commitment to quality and craftsmanship.”
Placing the final mass timber beam completes the structural scope of work and allows DPR’s team to continue with the roof, exterior skin, and interior build-out.
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DPR is repurposing Santa Clara’s “Wedge” building into a 113,702-square-foot office that will house regional and corporate operations, a Prefabrication Assembly Facility (PAF), and DPR's family of companies: GPLA Structural Engineers, OES Equipment, and EIG Electrical Systems. The building was designed by SmithGroup.
“Working with DPR is always a collaborative experience, so to partner on this particular project where we’re creating a new space for their own workforce was especially exciting and rewarding,” said Juhee Cho, Vice President and Workplace Studio Leader at SmithGroup. “The design process allowed for the sharing of new ideas and innovative ways to transform the existing building into an office that fits the vision for the future of the Silicon Valley workforce.”
The result is a purpose- and performance-driven design that integrates the office and PAF within the existing building. Central to the design, the three-story atrium runs the length of the building. The space features stadium stairs for presentations and working, a wine bar, and more spaces where employees can gather to collaborate.
The 68,100 square feet of open office space was designed to support a modern and mobile workforce. In addition to the traditional workspace, employees will have access to over 30 conference rooms, three snack/coffee areas, and an outdoor work area.
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“The new office space has been designed to foster collaboration and a dynamic and energetic working environment,” Schenk-Wasson said. “Many people don’t sit and work in one place anymore. The new office caters to how people prefer to work, whether at a desk, in a group, in a quiet room, or outside. People can move around the facility and find the best space for them.”
Sustainability is at the core of the team's approach, with solutions like low-carbon concrete and mass timber leading the way. DPR and SmithGroup designed an ultra-sustainable facility to be, at a minimum, Net-Zero Energy (NZE), LEED Gold, WELL Gold, and Net-Zero Carbon Certified.
“It is always inspiring to work with a client with a similar passion for sustainable design. DPR’s desire to be ultra-sustainable has been a rewarding and informative experience for the entire team,” said Stet Sanborn, Vice President and Director of Climate Impact at SmithGroup.
The project incorporates several sustainable strategies and solutions to achieve these goals, such as adaptive building reuse, solar photovoltaics, and a mass timber structure that offsets carbon, coupled with a specialized lower-carbon concrete mix.
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“We are deploying progressive approaches that both SmithGroup and DPR will implement on future projects, advancing the construction industry to continue being as sustainable as possible," Sanborn said.
By incorporating global warming potential metrics alongside traditional structural performance criteria, the concrete's carbon footprint was reduced by 38 percent, preventing over 1,160 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
Once the project is complete in 2025, DPR’s Redwood City, San Jose, and SPW operations will be consolidated and operated from Santa Clara, along with OES, GPLA, and DPR’s other family of companies.
